Arvicanthis niloticus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The African grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) is a species of rodent in the family Murinae. The species is divided into the following six subspecies. A. n. niloticus: Nile, Egypt; Arvicanthis niloticus is a rodent of medium size, with the length of the head and of the body between 159 and 202 mm, the length of the tail between 125 and 173 mm, the length of the foot between 33 and 42 mm, the length of the ears between 19 and 23 mm and a weight up to 201 g.
The fur is rough. The upper parts of individual hairs are yellowish with blackish tips. Long yellow or orange hairs are present on the bottom. A dorsal dark stripe more or less distinct extends from the head to the base of the tail. The ventral parts are whitish, with the base of the hairs blackish... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 2 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 3 | Lake Nakuru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 4 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Masai Mara National Reserve, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an African Grass Rat sighting in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 37th most-seen of the 40 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an African Grass Rat in Masai Mara National Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in March, May, September–October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most African Grass Rat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate African Grass Rat sightings, Masai Mara National Reserve ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Serengeti National Park (Tanzania, about 20%), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, about 20%) and Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the African Grass Rat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Masai Mara National Reserve (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
